Playgrounds provide popular recreational activities for their users. A playground system typically comprises a number of playground appliances such as swings, slides, see-saws, playground structures on which users can climb or play, etc. or perform another physical activity. Generally, it is desirable that playgrounds encourage physical activity and thus contribute to the prevention of obesity. Often playgrounds are even equipped with playground appliances for activities that aim at promoting cognitive, motoric and social development and education in an attractive and amusing way. Playgrounds are often unmanned and freely accessible for regular visits by players.
Examples of playground structures may include a frame or other support structure and floors, platforms, connecting beams, etc. defining a variety of play elements and/or areas. Slides, tunnels, net bridges, ladders, ropes, bars, beams, etc. may be used to interconnect the various play elements and play areas so that play participants can traverse from one play element or area to the next. Hence, for the purpose of the present description the term playground system is intended to comprise any system comprising one or more playground appliances for providing playful physical activities to a playground user. Playground users may include any age-group of users, such as children, young adults, and/or grown-ups. Playground systems include systems for indoor and/or outdoor use.
Generally, playground appliances should be robust and durable as they may be exposed to varying weather conditions, humidity, sand, dirt and dust, varying temperatures, harsh treatment and even vandalism. At the same time it is generally desirable to maintain low production costs.
Traditional playgrounds have been purely mechanical and “passive” installations, i.e. the various play elements are normally static or react only to forces imparted directly by the play participants.
More recently, there has been a trend towards playgrounds that provide additional interactive elements, in particular play elements whose functions may be triggered, controlled, or otherwise influenced by the users of the playground, so as to provide a play structure that is “active” or “interactive” and allows play participants to operate and control any one of a number of play elements. Such playgrounds stimulate the development of creative thinking or individual problem solving abilities or even encourage group cooperation and team work to achieve a common goal.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,231,451 discloses a play structure including a number of play elements disposed at various locations and elevations throughout the play structure. Each play element can be activated or operated by one or more play participants to complete one of several necessary steps in a chain of triggering events in which kinetic energy is transferred from one play element to the next. The overall completion of the chain of events results in a common desired result or effect, such as a domino-like cascade of various mechanisms, balls, water and/or the like. Play participants achieve the final goal through a collective team effort requiring the coordinated completion of several smaller objectives comprising each necessary step in the chain of triggering events.
It is further desired to make such interactive playgrounds attractive even for older children, young adults, and even adults.
The use of electronically controlled play elements allows a further increased variety of interactive play scenarios. Accordingly playground equipment has been proposed that includes sensors adapted to generate inputs to a signal processing entity that collects and processes information about what the players are doing.
However, the use of electronically controlled playground appliances may reduce the activity level of the playground users as the users may spend an increasing time exploring the different ways of configuring the electronic equipment rather than being physically active.